Various forms of sports psychology gives teenage fencer best chance at earning a gold medal
Shelby Jensen, 19, is a teenage wheelchair fencer who knows how to get what she wants out of her opposition using mind games. She can think more than three steps ahead of her opposition. However, growing up, she never saw fencing in her future.
“Never. Never in a million years. Never did I ever see myself on the path to the Paralympics with Team USA,” Jensen says.
Several media outlets (including Team USA’s website) and fencing experts have called the teenage phenom Team USA wheelchair fencing’s best hope for gold at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games. Nevertheless, becoming an expert in wheelchair fencing took her by surprise.
Jensen was born Feb. 8, 2001, to parents Sherri and Jed Jensen. When she was younger, she had a brain aneurysm that caused a stroke. As a result, she can’t move the right side of her body. Officially classified as a Class A fencer, she does have the ability to stand up and move her legs to a very minimal extent. Nevertheless, Jensen does not walk on a full-time basis, so she competes and does most of her everyday activities from her wheelchair.
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